US20080204409A1 - Cursor control device and method - Google Patents
Cursor control device and method Download PDFInfo
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- US20080204409A1 US20080204409A1 US12/036,090 US3609008A US2008204409A1 US 20080204409 A1 US20080204409 A1 US 20080204409A1 US 3609008 A US3609008 A US 3609008A US 2008204409 A1 US2008204409 A1 US 2008204409A1
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- conductive layer
- sensing elements
- actuator
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Images
Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
- G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
- G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
- G06F3/0202—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
- G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
- G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
- G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
- G06F3/044—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means
- G06F3/0445—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
- H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
- H03K17/00—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking
- H03K17/94—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking characterised by the way in which the control signals are generated
- H03K17/96—Touch switches
- H03K17/962—Capacitive touch switches
- H03K17/9622—Capacitive touch switches using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
- H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
- H03K17/00—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking
- H03K17/94—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking characterised by the way in which the control signals are generated
- H03K17/965—Switches controlled by moving an element forming part of the switch
- H03K17/975—Switches controlled by moving an element forming part of the switch using a capacitive movable element
- H03K17/98—Switches controlled by moving an element forming part of the switch using a capacitive movable element having a plurality of control members, e.g. keyboard
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
- H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
- H03K2217/00—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00
- H03K2217/94—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00 characterised by the way in which the control signal is generated
- H03K2217/96—Touch switches
- H03K2217/9607—Capacitive touch switches
- H03K2217/960755—Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
Definitions
- This invention relates generally to a control device, and more specifically, to a cursor control device and method.
- a remote control or game controller can include one or more control assemblies.
- the control assemblies include actuators and circuitry to convert a mechanical movement applied to the actuator by a user into an electrical signal.
- Directional pads are one example of control assemblies found on nearly all modern game controllers. D-pads typically comprise a substantially circular control surface, pivoted in the center and coupled to four buttons or switches associated with corresponding four primary directions.
- FIGS. 1 a and 1 b illustrate a D-pad 100 used in a remote control 102 and a game controller 104 , respectively.
- the D-pad 100 includes four buttons 106 a - d and 108 a - d associated with corresponding Up, Down, Right, and Left primary directions.
- the compass points are merely used here as a convenience to define the directions and do not refer to actual compass points or cardinal directions.
- Depressing the button 106 a in the Up or N direction closes the underlying switch generating a corresponding electronic signal provided to the D-pad's circuitry (not shown).
- depressing button 106 b in the Down or S direction closes the underlying switch generating a corresponding electronic signal and providing it to the D-pad's circuitry (not shown).
- Simultaneously depressing both button 106 a in the Up and N direction and button 106 b in the Left or W direction closes both underlying switches, generating a corresponding electronic signal.
- the D-pad can sense movement in four primary directions (Up or N, Down or S, Right or E, and Left or W) and in four secondary directions (NE, NW, SE, and SW).
- the D-pad can sense movement in the four secondary directions when a user depresses two buttons. For example, the D-pad would determine movement in the NW direction when a user depresses both the Up or N and Left or W buttons.
- D-pads 100 are relatively inexpensive to manufacture but typically lack angular resolution better than 45 degrees. And D-pads 100 do not measure the depression force with which the user presses the buttons 106 a - d and 108 a - d. If the D-pad 100 could measure the depression force, this could be used to control the rate of a cursor's movement.
- FSR force sensing resistor
- FIGS. 1 a and 1 b illustrate a remote control and a game controller, respectively.
- FIG. 2 a illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a cursor control device.
- FIG. 2 b illustrates a top view of sensing element traces for the cursor control device shown in FIG. 2 a.
- FIG. 3 illustrates the directions used to identify the sensing elements of FIGS. 2 a and 2 b.
- FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a capacitance sensing circuit connected to the plurality of sensing elements shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b.
- FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a 3-plate capacitor for the cursor control device of FIG. 2 a.
- FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of an actuator of FIG. 2 a, with a pivot attached.
- FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the actuator.
- FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a cursor control device.
- FIG. 2 a illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a cursor control device 20 .
- FIG. 2 b illustrates a top view of sensing element traces for the cursor control device shown in FIG. 2 a.
- the cursor control device 20 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 21 with a plurality of sensing elements 22 .
- the plurality of sensing elements 22 are arranged in a ring or circular manner as shown in FIG. 2 b.
- Each of the plurality of sensing elements can be traces on the PCB 21 .
- a non-conductive compressive layer 24 stacks or overlays on the plurality of sensing elements 22 . Any suitable non-conductive or dielectric compressive material can make up the compressive layer 24 , e.g., rubber or high-density foam.
- a conductive layer 28 stacks over the compressive layer 24 . Any suitable conductive material can make up the conductive layer 28 including copper foil.
- An actuator 26 stacks on the conductive layer 28 .
- a user applies a force to the actuator 26 that, in turn, compresses the compressive layer 24 through the conductive layer 24 changing the distance and hence, the capacitance between the conductive layer 24 and one or more of the plurality of sensing elements 22 .
- the conductive layer 28 may be a PCB trace and the actuator 26 may be a PCB substrate.
- the device 20 can include multiple actuators 26 stacked on top of each other.
- the conductive layer 28 may be a printed conductive ink (such as silver or carbon-impregnated ink applied to the underside of actuator 26 .
- the conductive layer 28 may be a single conductor covering all of the plurality of elements 22 ; in another implementation, the conductive layer 28 may be segmented similarly to the plurality of elements 22 , or in such a way that a single segment overlaps two or more of the elements 22 .
- the plurality of sensing elements 22 could include any number of elements with three elements being a minimum for full 360 degrees sensing.
- the device can include less than three elements 22 if the angle to be sensed is less than a full 360 degrees.
- the plurality of sensing elements 22 may include eight elements arranged in a circular or ring manner as shown in FIG. 2 b.
- FIG. 3 illustrates the directions used to identify the sensing elements of FIGS. 2 a and 2 b.
- Each of the plurality of elements 22 can associate with corresponding directions including North-North-East (NNE) 212 , North-North-West (NNW) 210 , East-North-East (ENE) 214 , West-North-West (WNW) 216 , East-South-East (ESE) 218 , West-South-West (WSW) 220 , South-South-East (SSE) 222 , and South-South-West (SSW) 224 , as shown in FIGS. 2 b and 3 .
- NNE North-North-West
- NW North-North-West
- ENE East-North-East
- WNW East-North-West
- ESE East-South-East
- WSW West-South-West
- SSE South-South-West
- SSW South-South-West
- the cursor control device 20 calculates a measure of either direction or magnitude of a force applied by a user to the actuator 26 using a difference in capacitance.
- the difference in capacitance is a reflection of a distance change between a first set of conductive plates or layers (e.g., conductive layer 28 ) and a second plate or set of plates (e.g., the plurality of segments 22 ).
- each sensing element forms a capacitor with the conductive layer 28 , the compressive layer 24 serving as a dielectric.
- the conductive layer 28 can connect to ground, or may be unconnected to any electrical voltage in the system.
- the capacitance between each of the sensing elements 22 and the conductive layer 28 is relatively small but may be useful to calibrate the cursor control device 20 .
- the actuator 26 When the user (not shown) applies a force to depress the actuator 26 , the actuator 26 is active. The force will compress the compressive layer 28 , changing the vertical distance between the conductive layer 24 and one or more of the sensing elements 22 located in the direction of the force. The change in vertical distance, in turn, increases the capacitance to ground for the capacitor formed between the conductive layer 24 and the one or more sensing elements 22 aligned along the direction of the force.
- the device 20 therefore, can determine the direction of the force on the actuator 26 by measuring the capacitance change of the one or more capacitors formed by corresponding one or more of the plurality of segments 22 responsive to the user's application of force to the actuator 26 .
- the device 20 can generate a signal indicating a desired movement direction for a cursor (not shown) on a display (not shown) by measuring or sensing a capacitance change that lies along the direction of the force applied by the user on the actuator 26 .
- This direction may be calculated by interpolating between the detected capacitance of two or more of the segments 22 in the 210 - 224 directions and ground. For example, if the user activates the actuator 26 by applying a force on the north edge, the device 20 can measure the increase in capacitance in the NNW and NNE sensing elements 22 .
- the device 20 If the device 20 measures the change in capacitance as equal in both NNW and NNE directions, the device 20 will determine that the user applied the force in the N direction (between the NNW and NNE directions). Similarly, if the device 20 measures the change in capacitances as greater in the NNW sensing element, the device 20 will determine the user applied the force in a direction closer to NNW than NNE, the precise angle being calculated in a manner derived from the ratio of the two capacitances.
- the device 20 can measure the magnitude of the force applied to the actuator 26 to generate a signal indicating a desired rate of movement for the cursor on the display.
- the device 20 can measure the magnitude of the force by summing the capacitance change for at least two of the plurality of sensing elements 22 .
- the device 20 can determine the magnitude of the force by calculating a difference between a sensing element 22 with a most capacitance change and a sensing element 22 with a least capacitance change.
- Another alternative is for the device 20 to determine the magnitude of the force by determining a difference in capacitance for a sensing element having one of either a most capacitance change or a least capacitive change.
- the device 20 determines the magnitude of the force by comparing the capacitance of the at least one capacitor to a capacitance of all other capacitors.
- a person of reasonable skill in the art can envision other methods of calculating or otherwise determining the magnitude of the force on the actuator 26 .
- FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a capacitance sensing circuit connected to the plurality of sensing elements 22 shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b.
- a sensing circuit 62 electrically couples to each of the plurality of sensing elements 22 .
- the sensing circuit 62 can measure the capacitance change for each of the plurality of sensing elements 22 through terminals 60 a - h responsive to actuation (or activation) of the actuator 26 by application of a force.
- the sensing circuit 62 can measure the capacitance between each of the sensing elements 22 and ground.
- sensing circuit 62 may be implemented as a single sensing circuit coupled to an 8:1 multiplexor, or eight individual sensing circuits, or two sensing circuits each coupled to a 4:1 multiplexor, and the like.
- the sensing circuit 62 can include an inexpensive microprocessor control unit (MCU) that is capable of accurately and reliably detecting very small changes in capacitance.
- the MCU can be any one of the PSoC® mixed signal controllers manufactured by Cypress Semiconductor®.
- a processing element 64 receives a numerical measure of the capacitance change associated with the sensing elements 22 from the sensing circuit 62 .
- the processing element 64 calculates the direction of the force on the actuator 26 and generates a signal indicating a desired movement direction for the cursor on the display.
- the processing element 64 calculates the magnitude of the force and generates a signal indicating a desired rate of movement for the cursor on the display.
- the processing element 64 can transmit the signal indicating movement direction and transmit the signal indicating rate of movement of the cursor on the display to a computer via the interface 66 .
- the processing element 64 continuously receives capacitance values from the sensing circuit 62 , and calculates the direction and magnitude of the force from these values.
- the processing element 64 may periodically signal to the sensing circuit 62 to make a set of capacitance measurements. Between periodic measurements, the processing element 64 and the sensing circuit 62 may be in a low power mode to save power.
- the sensing circuit 62 can make capacitance measurements continuously or at predetermined periods, e.g., every 8 ms.
- the processing element 64 calculates a measure of the direction and magnitude of the force applied to the actuator 26 each time the sensing circuit 62 makes a capacitance measurement. In an embodiment, the processing element 64 provides the calculations to a downstream computer (not shown) via the interface 66 .
- the processing element 64 can provide conventional cursor movement signals representing a pair of x and y direction values, to the downstream computer (not shown) via the interface 66 .
- a game software program (not shown) stored in the downstream computer uses the calculated direction and magnitude of the force applied to the actuator 26 or alternatively, the cursor signals, to move a cursor in a corresponding direction and at a corresponding rate or speed.
- FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a 3-plate capacitor for the cursor control device of FIG. 2 a.
- the 3-plate capacitor can include a pair of adjacent sensing elements 22 and the conductive layer 28 shown in the cursor control device 20 of FIG. 2 a (plate 74 in FIG. 5 ).
- the pair of adjacent sensing elements 22 are coupled to the sensing circuit 62 ( FIG. 4 ) via terminals 70 and 72 .
- the conductive layer 28 floats, i.e., not electrically coupled to a potential, forming an array of 3-plate capacitors with the plurality of sensing elements 22 .
- the sensing circuit 62 reads the capacitance of a selected sensing element 22 by applying a ground voltage to all of the elements 22 not user selected and measuring the capacitance to ground of the element that is user selected.
- FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of an actuator of FIG. 2 a, with a pivot attached.
- the actuator 26 can have a variety of shapes and sizes.
- the actuator 26 includes a pivot 90 that allows the actuator 26 to rock in any number of directions.
- FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the actuator 26 .
- an enclosure 100 encloses or surrounds portions of the device 20 .
- a compressive layer 24 a exists between the actuator 26 and the enclosure 100 .
- the compressive layer 24 a provides resistance to movement of the actuator 26 and results in a larger force than an embodiment not including the compressive layer 24 a.
- a larger force will create a greater reduction in the distance between the conductive layer 28 and the plurality of segments 22 , resulting in a greater increase in capacitance.
- the compressive layer 24 or 24 a includes springs. The springs, in turn, can be located between the actuator 26 and the enclosure 100 or, alternatively, between the actuator 26 and the conductive layer 28 .
- FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a cursor control device.
- an air gap 30 replaces the compressive layer 24 shown in FIG. 2 a between the conductive layer 28 and the plurality of segments 22 .
- the air gap 30 can be air as the name implies, or an appropriate fluid.
- the plurality of sensing elements 22 may include more or fewer than the eight elements shown in the drawings depending on the application. Using more elements may result in a more accurate directional calculation, but at the cost of requiring more inputs to the capacitance sensing circuit 62 .
- cursor control can also be applied for other purposes, e.g., movement control or direction of view control in computer gaming, menu item selection in a display menu, camera field of view control, radio controlled model control, audio balance/fade control, and the like.
Abstract
Description
- We claim priority to and incorporate by reference U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/891,207 filed Feb. 22, 2007.
- This invention relates generally to a control device, and more specifically, to a cursor control device and method.
- Actuators and buttons have found recent widespread use in a variety of applications including remote controls and controllers associated with gaming consoles like the Sony® PlayStation® and Microsoft® Xbox®. A remote control or game controller can include one or more control assemblies. The control assemblies, in turn, include actuators and circuitry to convert a mechanical movement applied to the actuator by a user into an electrical signal. Directional pads (D-pads) are one example of control assemblies found on nearly all modern game controllers. D-pads typically comprise a substantially circular control surface, pivoted in the center and coupled to four buttons or switches associated with corresponding four primary directions.
-
FIGS. 1 a and 1 b illustrate a D-pad 100 used in aremote control 102 and agame controller 104, respectively. The D-pad 100 includes four buttons 106 a-d and 108 a-d associated with corresponding Up, Down, Right, and Left primary directions. To define secondary directions more easily, we will alternatively refer to the Up, Down, Left, and Right primary directions as North (N), South (S), East (E), and West (W), respectively. The compass points are merely used here as a convenience to define the directions and do not refer to actual compass points or cardinal directions. - Depressing the
button 106 a in the Up or N direction, for example, closes the underlying switch generating a corresponding electronic signal provided to the D-pad's circuitry (not shown). Similarly and for another example,depressing button 106 b in the Down or S direction closes the underlying switch generating a corresponding electronic signal and providing it to the D-pad's circuitry (not shown). Simultaneously depressing bothbutton 106 a in the Up and N direction andbutton 106 b in the Left or W direction closes both underlying switches, generating a corresponding electronic signal. The D-pad can sense movement in four primary directions (Up or N, Down or S, Right or E, and Left or W) and in four secondary directions (NE, NW, SE, and SW). The D-pad can sense movement in the four secondary directions when a user depresses two buttons. For example, the D-pad would determine movement in the NW direction when a user depresses both the Up or N and Left or W buttons. - D-
pads 100 are relatively inexpensive to manufacture but typically lack angular resolution better than 45 degrees. And D-pads 100 do not measure the depression force with which the user presses the buttons 106 a-d and 108 a-d. If the D-pad 100 could measure the depression force, this could be used to control the rate of a cursor's movement. - To control the rate of a cursor's movement, some game controllers use a strain gauge or a force sensing resistor (FSR) to sense a force applied to the cursor buttons. An example of a FSR device is the IBM Trackpoint®, a small red button found on IBMR® laptops. Similar FSR devices are in use in several other applications. FSR devices offer the advantage of providing control of both the direction and speed of cursor motion (which is a function of the depression force with which the user presses the buttons) in a relatively small form factor, and direction resolution is much improved compared with a D-pad. Although capable of providing excellent cursor control in a relatively small form factor, strain gauges or FSR devices are expensive to manufacture.
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FIGS. 1 a and 1 b illustrate a remote control and a game controller, respectively. -
FIG. 2 a illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a cursor control device. -
FIG. 2 b illustrates a top view of sensing element traces for the cursor control device shown inFIG. 2 a. -
FIG. 3 illustrates the directions used to identify the sensing elements ofFIGS. 2 a and 2 b. -
FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a capacitance sensing circuit connected to the plurality of sensing elements shown inFIGS. 2 a and 2 b. -
FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a 3-plate capacitor for the cursor control device ofFIG. 2 a. -
FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of an actuator ofFIG. 2 a, with a pivot attached. -
FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the actuator. -
FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a cursor control device. -
FIG. 2 a illustrates a side view of an embodiment of acursor control device 20.FIG. 2 b illustrates a top view of sensing element traces for the cursor control device shown inFIG. 2 a. - Referring to
FIG. 2 a, thecursor control device 20 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 21 with a plurality ofsensing elements 22. In an embodiment, the plurality ofsensing elements 22 are arranged in a ring or circular manner as shown inFIG. 2 b. Each of the plurality of sensing elements can be traces on thePCB 21. A non-conductivecompressive layer 24 stacks or overlays on the plurality ofsensing elements 22. Any suitable non-conductive or dielectric compressive material can make up thecompressive layer 24, e.g., rubber or high-density foam. Aconductive layer 28 stacks over thecompressive layer 24. Any suitable conductive material can make up theconductive layer 28 including copper foil. Anactuator 26 stacks on theconductive layer 28. A user (not shown) applies a force to theactuator 26 that, in turn, compresses thecompressive layer 24 through theconductive layer 24 changing the distance and hence, the capacitance between theconductive layer 24 and one or more of the plurality ofsensing elements 22. In one embodiment, theconductive layer 28 may be a PCB trace and theactuator 26 may be a PCB substrate. In another embodiment, thedevice 20 can includemultiple actuators 26 stacked on top of each other. In yet another embodiment, theconductive layer 28 may be a printed conductive ink (such as silver or carbon-impregnated ink applied to the underside ofactuator 26. In yet another embodiment, theconductive layer 28 may be a single conductor covering all of the plurality ofelements 22; in another implementation, theconductive layer 28 may be segmented similarly to the plurality ofelements 22, or in such a way that a single segment overlaps two or more of theelements 22. - The plurality of
sensing elements 22 could include any number of elements with three elements being a minimum for full 360 degrees sensing. The device can include less than threeelements 22 if the angle to be sensed is less than a full 360 degrees. In one embodiment, the plurality ofsensing elements 22 may include eight elements arranged in a circular or ring manner as shown inFIG. 2 b.FIG. 3 illustrates the directions used to identify the sensing elements ofFIGS. 2 a and 2 b. Each of the plurality ofelements 22 can associate with corresponding directions including North-North-East (NNE) 212, North-North-West (NNW) 210, East-North-East (ENE) 214, West-North-West (WNW) 216, East-South-East (ESE) 218, West-South-West (WSW) 220, South-South-East (SSE) 222, and South-South-West (SSW) 224, as shown inFIGS. 2 b and 3. Note again that the compass points are merely used here as a convenience to define the directions and do not refer to actual compass points. For example, N does not actually point to the cardinal point North but rather refers generally to the Up direction. - The
cursor control device 20 calculates a measure of either direction or magnitude of a force applied by a user to theactuator 26 using a difference in capacitance. The difference in capacitance is a reflection of a distance change between a first set of conductive plates or layers (e.g., conductive layer 28) and a second plate or set of plates (e.g., the plurality of segments 22). - In an embodiment, each sensing element forms a capacitor with the
conductive layer 28, thecompressive layer 24 serving as a dielectric. Theconductive layer 28 can connect to ground, or may be unconnected to any electrical voltage in the system. - When the
actuator 26 is at rest (i.e., not depressed), the capacitance between each of thesensing elements 22 and the conductive layer 28 (e.g., at ground potential) is relatively small but may be useful to calibrate thecursor control device 20. - When the user (not shown) applies a force to depress the
actuator 26, theactuator 26 is active. The force will compress thecompressive layer 28, changing the vertical distance between theconductive layer 24 and one or more of thesensing elements 22 located in the direction of the force. The change in vertical distance, in turn, increases the capacitance to ground for the capacitor formed between theconductive layer 24 and the one ormore sensing elements 22 aligned along the direction of the force. Thedevice 20, therefore, can determine the direction of the force on theactuator 26 by measuring the capacitance change of the one or more capacitors formed by corresponding one or more of the plurality ofsegments 22 responsive to the user's application of force to theactuator 26. Put differently, thedevice 20 can generate a signal indicating a desired movement direction for a cursor (not shown) on a display (not shown) by measuring or sensing a capacitance change that lies along the direction of the force applied by the user on theactuator 26. This direction may be calculated by interpolating between the detected capacitance of two or more of thesegments 22 in the 210-224 directions and ground. For example, if the user activates theactuator 26 by applying a force on the north edge, thedevice 20 can measure the increase in capacitance in the NNW andNNE sensing elements 22. If thedevice 20 measures the change in capacitance as equal in both NNW and NNE directions, thedevice 20 will determine that the user applied the force in the N direction (between the NNW and NNE directions). Similarly, if thedevice 20 measures the change in capacitances as greater in the NNW sensing element, thedevice 20 will determine the user applied the force in a direction closer to NNW than NNE, the precise angle being calculated in a manner derived from the ratio of the two capacitances. - In an embodiment, the
device 20 can measure the magnitude of the force applied to theactuator 26 to generate a signal indicating a desired rate of movement for the cursor on the display. Thedevice 20 can measure the magnitude of the force by summing the capacitance change for at least two of the plurality ofsensing elements 22. Alternatively, thedevice 20 can determine the magnitude of the force by calculating a difference between asensing element 22 with a most capacitance change and asensing element 22 with a least capacitance change. Another alternative is for thedevice 20 to determine the magnitude of the force by determining a difference in capacitance for a sensing element having one of either a most capacitance change or a least capacitive change. Yet another alternative is for thedevice 20 to determine the magnitude of the force by comparing the capacitance of the at least one capacitor to a capacitance of all other capacitors. A person of reasonable skill in the art can envision other methods of calculating or otherwise determining the magnitude of the force on theactuator 26. -
FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a capacitance sensing circuit connected to the plurality ofsensing elements 22 shown inFIGS. 2 a and 2 b. Referring toFIG. 4 , asensing circuit 62 electrically couples to each of the plurality ofsensing elements 22. Thesensing circuit 62 can measure the capacitance change for each of the plurality ofsensing elements 22 through terminals 60 a-h responsive to actuation (or activation) of theactuator 26 by application of a force. Thesensing circuit 62 can measure the capacitance between each of thesensing elements 22 and ground. In this example of eight sensing elements, sensingcircuit 62 may be implemented as a single sensing circuit coupled to an 8:1 multiplexor, or eight individual sensing circuits, or two sensing circuits each coupled to a 4:1 multiplexor, and the like. Thesensing circuit 62 can include an inexpensive microprocessor control unit (MCU) that is capable of accurately and reliably detecting very small changes in capacitance. The MCU can be any one of the PSoC® mixed signal controllers manufactured by Cypress Semiconductor®. Aprocessing element 64 receives a numerical measure of the capacitance change associated with thesensing elements 22 from thesensing circuit 62. Theprocessing element 64 calculates the direction of the force on theactuator 26 and generates a signal indicating a desired movement direction for the cursor on the display. Theprocessing element 64 calculates the magnitude of the force and generates a signal indicating a desired rate of movement for the cursor on the display. Theprocessing element 64 can transmit the signal indicating movement direction and transmit the signal indicating rate of movement of the cursor on the display to a computer via theinterface 66. - In one embodiment, the
processing element 64 continuously receives capacitance values from thesensing circuit 62, and calculates the direction and magnitude of the force from these values. - In an embodiment, the
processing element 64 may periodically signal to thesensing circuit 62 to make a set of capacitance measurements. Between periodic measurements, theprocessing element 64 and thesensing circuit 62 may be in a low power mode to save power. Thesensing circuit 62 can make capacitance measurements continuously or at predetermined periods, e.g., every 8 ms. Theprocessing element 64 calculates a measure of the direction and magnitude of the force applied to theactuator 26 each time thesensing circuit 62 makes a capacitance measurement. In an embodiment, theprocessing element 64 provides the calculations to a downstream computer (not shown) via theinterface 66. Alternatively, theprocessing element 64 can provide conventional cursor movement signals representing a pair of x and y direction values, to the downstream computer (not shown) via theinterface 66. In an embodiment, a game software program (not shown) stored in the downstream computer uses the calculated direction and magnitude of the force applied to theactuator 26 or alternatively, the cursor signals, to move a cursor in a corresponding direction and at a corresponding rate or speed. -
FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a 3-plate capacitor for the cursor control device ofFIG. 2 a. Referring toFIGS. 2 a and 5, the 3-plate capacitor can include a pair ofadjacent sensing elements 22 and theconductive layer 28 shown in thecursor control device 20 ofFIG. 2 a (plate 74 inFIG. 5 ). The pair ofadjacent sensing elements 22 are coupled to the sensing circuit 62 (FIG. 4 ) viaterminals conductive layer 28 floats, i.e., not electrically coupled to a potential, forming an array of 3-plate capacitors with the plurality ofsensing elements 22. Thesensing circuit 62 reads the capacitance of a selectedsensing element 22 by applying a ground voltage to all of theelements 22 not user selected and measuring the capacitance to ground of the element that is user selected. -
FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of an actuator ofFIG. 2 a, with a pivot attached. Theactuator 26 can have a variety of shapes and sizes. In an embodiment, theactuator 26 includes apivot 90 that allows theactuator 26 to rock in any number of directions. -
FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of theactuator 26. Referring toFIGS. 2 a and 7, anenclosure 100 encloses or surrounds portions of thedevice 20. In an embodiment, only a top portion of theactuator 26 may be outside theenclosure 100 and accessible to the user. In an embodiment, acompressive layer 24 a exists between the actuator 26 and theenclosure 100. Thecompressive layer 24 a provides resistance to movement of theactuator 26 and results in a larger force than an embodiment not including thecompressive layer 24 a. A larger force will create a greater reduction in the distance between theconductive layer 28 and the plurality ofsegments 22, resulting in a greater increase in capacitance. In another embodiment, thecompressive layer enclosure 100 or, alternatively, between the actuator 26 and theconductive layer 28. -
FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a cursor control device. ReferringFIG. 8 , anair gap 30 replaces thecompressive layer 24 shown inFIG. 2 a between theconductive layer 28 and the plurality ofsegments 22. Theair gap 30 can be air as the name implies, or an appropriate fluid. - One of skill in the art will recognize that the concepts taught herein are capable of tailoring to a particular application in many other advantageous ways. In particular, those skilled in the art will recognize that the illustrated embodiments are but one of many alternative implementations that will become apparent upon reading this disclosure. For instance, the plurality of
sensing elements 22 may include more or fewer than the eight elements shown in the drawings depending on the application. Using more elements may result in a more accurate directional calculation, but at the cost of requiring more inputs to thecapacitance sensing circuit 62. We have described the present in terms of its application for cursor control, but can also be applied for other purposes, e.g., movement control or direction of view control in computer gaming, menu item selection in a display menu, camera field of view control, radio controlled model control, audio balance/fade control, and the like. - A person of reasonable skill in the art can make changes to the embodiments in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.
Claims (32)
Priority Applications (1)
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US12/036,090 US9360968B2 (en) | 2007-02-22 | 2008-02-22 | Cursor control device and method of operation |
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US89120707P | 2007-02-22 | 2007-02-22 | |
US12/036,090 US9360968B2 (en) | 2007-02-22 | 2008-02-22 | Cursor control device and method of operation |
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US20080204409A1 true US20080204409A1 (en) | 2008-08-28 |
US9360968B2 US9360968B2 (en) | 2016-06-07 |
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US12/036,090 Active 2032-10-31 US9360968B2 (en) | 2007-02-22 | 2008-02-22 | Cursor control device and method of operation |
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WO (1) | WO2008103943A1 (en) |
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Also Published As
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WO2008103943A1 (en) | 2008-08-28 |
US9360968B2 (en) | 2016-06-07 |
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